My life started to revolve around my desk, and I often felt unfocused and restless throughout my work days. This got me thinking. How could I change my habits at the office to not only benefit my health, but also lift some of the burden I faced with my daily work load? This led me to trying various exercises at my desk, changing my diet, running in the mornings, but none of that felt like enough in the 8 hours I was tied to my desk every Monday through Friday. This is how it all started!
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Standing Desk: The Beginning
While my career started growing more and more, I noticed how drastically different my life becoming. How long I would spend at my desk almost felt like my life revolved around my desk. I found myself constantly getting up and walking around my work area, stretching, sometimes even walking around with a tablet in hand trying to sift through my emails in a timely matter. While at the time this kind of thing was normal to me and my work habits, I didn’t realize I was implementing a standing desk element into my work space, without even having a standing desk. As soon as the standing desk craze picked up, I immediately saw how this could be the perfect tool for my work lifestyle and for my overall sanity at the office.
Standing Desk: The Investment
From pacing around the office day after day, I finally made the investment in buying a standing desk to just give it a try. At first I was skeptical, but after researching the benefits, and knowing how restless I personally get sitting at the office all day, I thought why not?
These are the changes I noticed right away after making the switch to a standing desk:
A Better Flow
Ever since I started transitioning into using a standing desk for the past year, one of the first things I noticed was how simple it was to move from task to task. It’s no longer a matter of putting off grabbing those copies until you have more to do at once that requires you to get up, you can go run and get them and get right back to work without any procrastination that will end up putting a wrench in your schedule flow. When you’re already alert and standing, completing all those little tasks around the office will not be as daunting as they used to be.
No More Second Cup
I no longer need that second cup of coffee, I probably don’t need the first one either, but I’m too much of a sucker for a morning cup of coffee! But in all seriousness, I feel like I have more energy and alertness on my side when I get ready to start the day at the office. Every time I step up to work at the standing desk, I don’t feel drowsy, I feel determined to complete my work.
It’s More Efficient
This setup is ergonomic and saves space. The past year has probably been my most productive year yet, simply because of how efficient my life has become with this new standing desk system. It doesn’t take up room, it actually saves space, and it’s quite diverse for any situation. I noticed right away how my work was not only completed faster because I was much more focused, but I wasn’t even tired when going back home after a full day of working at the office.
No More Noon Naps
I no longer feel like I need to take a nap after my noon lunch break like everyone else in the office. When I had a typical sitting desk, I would always find myself having a hard time staying awake when lunch time hit, after my lunch break I’d get back to my desk and I’d just want to close my eyes for a second. But those days are long gone ever since I started using this standing desk system, which has benefited my daily attitude, health, and work productivity!
It Takes Time
It takes time to get used to, you’ll probably be tired when using a standing desk at first, you might even need to take breaks, but I promise you it’s so worth it! After getting adjusted, you’ll see just how big of a difference it will make in every way when it comes to your professional and personal life.
It Keeps Me Focused
Probably one of my favorite things about making this year long switch has been how focused it keeps me. Because I’m 10x more focused than I’ve ever felt before, I feel motivated to continue working on projects until completion, not putting them off until the last minute. After just my first day trying out this change in my workflow, I noticed a difference that would stay with me for the following year, to this day.
Motivate Others
The best thing about making this switch hasn’t even been for myself, it’s been the wave of influence my personal switch has had on others to try out this new workflow system. Many of my coworkers have decided to try out this kind of system and it’s been something that has continued to brighten the office in so many positive ways.
Key Takeaways
I made a choice to change my work life in a way that would benefit every single other aspect of my life. That’s the same kind of choice you have to make too. You’ll be left with the choice, should I stay sitting or should I challenge myself to take the tough choice that has a better reward at the end of the day? This switch wasn’t easy, but it’s a switch that, now looking back, has been one of the best choices I’ve made that helped me find more balance when it comes to work and my personal life.
This was a guest post, written by Larry Smith, works in e-Commerce.
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